


On The Ice (don't fall in)

by Led_Sneakers



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Batfamily (DCU), Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Bruce wayne loves his kids, Dick Grayson - Freeform, Dick Grayson Whump, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Gen, Gotham City - Freeform, Hurt Dick Grayson, Hurt/Comfort, Nightwing - Freeform, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Well - Freeform, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27443038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Led_Sneakers/pseuds/Led_Sneakers
Summary: “What does that look like to you, Grayson?”The canvas bag ruffled his hair as it was pulled off. Dick found himself staring down at an expanse of white, until his eyes caught on skyscrapers on the horizon. The bald henchman yelled to be heard over the helicopter blades,“I said, what does that look like to you, Officer Grayson?” He flicked the badge on Dicks uniform. Dick tried to quip around the gag in his mouth, but it came out as a garble.It's the dead of winter. In Gotham. And he's about to take a plunge through the ice, Into the harbor.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Barbara Gordon & Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne
Comments: 67
Kudos: 439





	1. Chapter 1

“What does that look like to you, Grayson?”  
The canvas bag ruffled his hair as it was pulled off. Dick found himself staring down at an expanse of white, until his eyes caught on skyscrapers on the horizon. The bald henchman yelled to be heard over the helicopter blades,  
“I said, what does that look like to you, Officer Grayson?” He flicked the badge on Dicks uniform. Dick tried to quip around the gag in his mouth, but it came out as a garble. Instead lunged at the man, making him jump. The other muscle-head jerked him backwards by the handcuffs-his handcuffs-around his wrist.  
“Unbelievable. The only clean cop in the city and the worst manners I’ve ever seen.”  
He punched Dick across the face, laying him out across the cabin floor. Dick tried to catch the eye of Jamie, his partner, who stood solemnly near the pilot’s seat. He could tell she didn’t want to do this. The bald guy pulled him back to his knees by his hair.  
“Ah, Grayson. Boss didn’t really want you dead. Seemed like a good kid to him. But to be honest?”  
He leaned in close for a moment,  
“You always were just a prick.”  
He dropped him back on the floor, aggravating the injuries from when Dick had been abducted. Amy had been covering his six, she’d let him go into the building, knowing that these thugs were waiting. The gag came loose for a second, Dick seized his chance,  
“Jamie!”  
She looked at him with frightened eyes, scared for him, or for herself, or both. Baldie started dragging him back to the edge of the copter,  
“Jamie, you don’t have to do this! You’re a good person, I know you are!”  
She looked away from him, the man forced him to his knees on the threshold, clapping a hand on the back of his neck. How could he get out of this? He’d been taken as Dick Grayson, not as Nightwing, and even still; he doubted he could take those two meatheads in this small space.  
“Jamie” he tried to look back at her, she had her eyes glued to the floor. He had no tracker on his uniform, no phone on him, not even an I.D for when they fished his body out of the Harbor. The goons had flown him closer to home than he’d been in months, but help was farther away than ever,  
“Oh, kid. She’s not gonna help you. Even if she wanted to, what could she do? Join you?” the men laughed. Dick looked Jamie in the eyes,  
“It’s okay. Jamie, it’s-” he looked down at the frozen water, “Its okay.”  
He was already shivering in the cold. No jacket, no shoes, no way to call for help. What would Bruce do?  
“That’s nice of you, Grayson, it really is. Let the lady have a clear conscious before you take an ice bath”  
What would Batman do? Years of training came to mind. Rebreathers were out, only in his Nightwing suit. He started ventilating, something he’d learned for a mission he couldn’t remember. He needed as much oxygen in his blood as he could possibly get.  
“Well, we’ve spent too much time here already. Nice knowing you Grayson. I’d give you time to say your prayers but,” He picked Dick up by the back of his collar, “I figure you’ll have enough time on the way down”  
Then he threw Dick out of the helicopter  
Falling, fast, the white getting closer. He’d break through the ice at this speed, he’d break whatever bones hit it first; He threw out his left foot as a sacrifice, then-  
He hit the ice-he felt the crack in his shin-  
The water, filling his mouth and nose-  
Don’t gasp, don’t breathe in-  
Silence. Just the bubbles filtering upwards, the icy water working its way down into his core. He could see the light from the hole he’d made in the ice. He was sinking, he was already numb in the water.  
Dead in the water, his thoughts echoed. Dying was easy, was this how Jay had felt? He’d have to ask him later-the two hadn’t met up for too long.  
Dying was too easy. He needed to survive. He needed to be alive, Barbra, Bruce, TIm, Jay, they all needed him.  
Dick kicked, swimming with his arms tied. Pain cut through the numbness, but he would take feeling over dying. His lungs started to burn, but he was almost there, just a few more feet-  
He broke the surface sputtering water. He treaded in place, barely keeping his head above the harbor as he took deep, fast breaths. He grunted as his shin started to ache more, twinging with every stroke.  
He couldn’t tread water with one foot-and he couldn’t swim without his hands for much longer. Taking a deep breath, Dick went back under water and started to wrestle the cuffs under his legs. It took too long, but he did it, even if he was at risk of hypothermia. He threw his arms onto the ice, it was a few inches thick, he needed to pull himself up, get out of the water. Or he’d really have no hope at all.  
“No time like the present” he muttered to himself, “One, two, three”  
He slipped back into the water, jostling bruised ribs and effectively water-logging himself for the third time. Without missing a beat, he tried again, and again. If he was going to beat hypothermia, he had no time at all to waste. His attempts became sluggish. He’d been left around, what was it, midmorning? The ice meant that he was in freezing water, he had less than 20 minutes before critical shutdown. Attempt number five left him kneeling on the ice at last.  
He catches his breath, staring up at the clouds. It was weird really, to be so on his own, but also surrounded by not only Gotham, but Metropolis as well. He would have called for Clark, too, if he hadn’t been off-world helping the green lanterns with something.  
For now, it looked like a blizzard was rolling in. As if his luck could get any worse. Dick did his best to stand; ending up lopsided on his good leg. He wouldn’t break this ice by walking on it, it was, after all, the dead of winter in Gotham city.  
He shivered against the wind, wishing for his ill-fitting police jacket.  
“Shivering is good.” He reminded himself, “Shivering means no hypothermia…” he looked down at his bare feet, resigning himself to the inevitable, “At least not quite yet”  
Dick balled his fists, trying not to think of frostbite, and stumbled forward.


	2. Two

“Sir, we are very sorry. I am very sorry. Your son was a great man.”  
Bruce could feel the grief in the officers voice, feel it settle into his own bones.  
“Can-” He cleared his throat, “Can you tell me what happened? Please?”  
The woman halted for a moment, Bruce could imagine her pursing her lips,   
“I’ll have you talk to his partner. Just a moment, sir”  
Bruce sat on the couch, letting the phone rest in his lap. He couldn’t really be dead? Not Dick. Something must have happened, he couldn't be gone just like that. He wasn’t.  
The phone got his attention again,   
“Hello?”  
A shaky female voice answered,   
“Hello I’m Officer Jacobs. Is-Is this Mister Wayne?”  
“Can you tell me what happened to my son?”  
She broke down into tears,   
“Im sorry, I’m so sorry! -All my fault! Dick was such a-”   
The rest was unintelligible. Bruce felt his stomach fall further.  
“Please, officer.”  
He waited for her to compose herself. She took deep breaths, but Bruce still felt impatient; if Dick was out there, he probably didn’t have a lot of time to get to him,  
“They-they threatened me. Showed up at my house. I didn’t want to, I tried-” she stopped to take a breath “I tried switching partners, I tried transferring but. But they have people on the inside.”  
Bruce stood up.  
“Jacobs, what happened to Dick?”  
She sobbed more, but still continued,   
“He-Grayson, was working on this case and he was getting close to the- the leaders of this gang and. And they had me spy on him for months, I never wanted-I never wanted to hurt him but they made me. They made me take him to a bust, but it wasn’t really a bust and that's where...That’s where”  
“Where they took him?”  
“And they made me come and I-they took us in a helicopter and they flew us over Gotham harbor and then”  
She stopped to cry some more, but Bruce had heard all that he needed. There were a few Bludhaven gangs that had access to helicopters-one that preferred to dunk their victims into Gotham Harbor. He started walking swiftly through the house. Dick wouldn’t have let himself drown, the kid was too stubborn. Unless they’d found a body, Dick Grayson was not dead.   
“When did this happen?”  
“This morning, at maybe ten? In the middle of the bay.”   
Bruce looked down at his watch, it was 12:45. Not enough time. He hung up without saying goodbye. Dick would be on the ice if he was alive. And he wouldn’t stay that way for long.   
He dialed a new number,   
“Tim.” he said as soon as the line opened  
“Hey B. Working on something right now, what’s up?”  
“I need your help. Quickly.”  
Bruce made his way down into the Batcave. Tim’s voice took on concern, no doubt he was picking up on Bruce’s frantic -at least for him- manner.   
“What’s going on, Bruce? Is everyone okay?”  
Bruce transferred the call onto the computer, leaving him free to suit up.   
“No.” he answered flatly. No point in lying, “It’s Dick. I need you here as fast as possible. Family matters.”He paused before adding, “Get Jason if you can.”  
Family Matters was actually code for ‘suit up and wait for further instruction’, you could never trust phone lines for privacy.   
“This is bad isn’t it?” he could hear rustling on the other end of the call. Bruce locked his gauntlet into place and stalked across the catwalk, where the batmobile was waiting.  
“For now” he answered, The car hummed to life as he slid inside, “Yes, it is”  
The engine roared, the batmobile tore out of the cave. Dick was alive, he would be okay. And if he wasn’t, God help the poor soul who was responsible.


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all of the hits, kudos, comments, and bookmarks!! And thank you all for being patient while I get this chapter up! It does spend a lot of time with Jason, just cus I love writing him, and chapter four Damian comes into play! Thank you all again, hope you enjoy this chapter!  
> -Kay

C H A P T E R T H R E E 

Dick swore as he fell on the ice again. It wasn’t slick so much as just regular ice; but on bare feet and with a definitely broken foot? He may as well have been trying to balance on billiard balls.

He hauled himself up and kept shuffling in the vague direction of Gotham Pier; Or at any rate, the Gotham side of the harbor. Ice was starting to collect on his clothes, in his hair, even his eyelashes were tinged with white. He wasn’t soaking wet anymore, but the cold was still oppressive. He couldn’t stop shivering, which wasn’t helping his walking pace, and was especially annoying since he needed to move quickly to keep his feet from sticking to the ice. Of all the places to be stranded, he had to end up here. Why not a tropical Island getaway, or a resort with no wifi? No, it was Gotham Harbor, alone with the cold and the ice and his own brain. 

Great. He would keep shuffling his way to safety.

He found himself thinking about Jamie.. He wasn’t angry at her...he didn’t think, at least. But he had hoped...nevermind what he had hoped. Dick knew going into Bludhaven that he shouldn’t trust any cop he worked with, no matter how clean they seemed. Most police forces weren’t clean to begin with. 

Dick winced, putting too much pressure on his bad leg again. He gritted his teeth. Good people get roped into bad things. Cops like Jaimie fall victim to a corrupt system. Not even Jim Gordon was infallible. He could almost hear the lecture he’d received from Bruce once he’d learned Dick was applying to the PD. 

He groaned again, his ribs were also quick to make their presence known. He should probably take it as a good sign that he could still feel them, and his leg. Though his hands were thoroughly numb, and if he still  _ had _ feet it would come as a surprise. Dick looked up at the Gotham skyline, still a little under a mile away. 

It would be a miracle if he made it that far without getting severe hypothermia, the onset of which he could already feel. Would anyone be looking for him? Jamie would be back at the precinct by now. But he doubted any good to come from that. Maybe she would tell someone what happened. Give him a chance. 

Again, probably false hope. He pulled his arms in tighter, the handcuffs still around his wrists. He could see his own breath in the air. Maybe Jamie had told the cops he was down somewhere, or missing. Maybe she’d felt guilty and told the PD the truth. They would have told Bruce...though the two weren’t on the best of terms, he was still Dick’s emergency contact, and technical next of kin. Would Bruce look for his body? Would Bruce bother to think he was alive?

He couldn’t remember the last time they’d spoken out of costume. Partially his fault, partially Dick’s. For all the ways he and Bruce were different, they were both too stubborn for anyone’s good. He’d have to fix that if he survived this. Dick kept his eyes glued on the ice in front of him, the weather was starting to turn. He braced against the wind, thinking of having zero visibility once he reached the thinnest part of the frozen harbor. 

_ One problem at a time.  _

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason was on his way home, honest. He hadn’t been looking for trouble, he hadn’t been out for revenge, he wasn’t even in the Hood when it happened. For once in his godforsaken existence, he just wanted to go home.

Keyword: god  _ forsaken _ . He gave up trying to flag down a taxi, resolving to just walk home with his corner-store bag and its contents. Sure, it was freezing, but the trek was only a few minutes longer than getting stuck in traffic. He kept his hoodie up as he turned on his heel to mull through the crowd.

Even not in costume, people tended to get out of his way. Though he’d never admit it, Jason still wasn’t used to that. As a kid, he was used to parents pulling their kids close and keeping a hand on their wallet as he passed, maybe casting a pitied stare his way. He’d been a rat, a kicked puppy, or a ruffian, no in between. Now, Jason was “intimidating”. 

Amazing what being killed and dunked into radioactive bug-juice does for your aura.

He crossed through an alley, taking a shortcut to his street. Maybe he could catch a t.v show or something before patrol-he stopped short of the corner. Something had put his senses on alert.  _ There,  _ a rustling of heavy fabric from above. 

_ No _ . It  _ wasn’t _ him. Jason was currently laying low. Very low. He hadn’t even  _ shot _ at anyone in weeks; not to mention that Bruce wasn’t one to make social calls. There was no reason for “The Batman” to be following him. Or “Robin” or “Red Robin”. Jason heard the noise a second time, but ignored it. He kept walking. If his stalker family wanted to speak with him, they would have to do it like normal people. Otherwise he would make it very,  _ very  _ difficult for them to keep tabs. 

He ducked out of the alley, almost ringing his bell on some grandma’s flag pole. It was probably nothing anyway. Jason kept his eyes on the sidewalk as he wove through the crowd, trying to disappear. This was his street, but if Bruce or Timmy were on his tail, he’d be as annoying as possible. Thinking about a ridiculous route in his head, he entered another alley. 

Shouting from the next street over caught his attention. He followed the sound, a kid and an adult's voice becoming clearer. He turned the corner, a store owner had some kid by the arm, screaming at him. The kid looked scared, but he was yelling back, trying to get the man to let go. Jason pushed through a couple of bystanders, catching some of the argument. He stopped, half facing them to listen,

“-Little rat stole from me!”

The kid tried to jerk the man's grasp. He looked scruffy, thin, like Jason had at that age. 

“No I didn’t! Let me go!”

He stomped on the owners foot, but it didn’t have the desired effect. The man howled, gripping the kids arm tighter, twisting it at a painful angle. 

“You little brat! The cops are on their way, you need to be in juvenile!” he started pulling the boy into his store, probably to keep him there until the cops showed up. Jason remembered being in nearly this exact same situation. More than once or twice. He called out to the owner, who hadn’t noticed his presence before, 

“Oh! You found him, thank God!”

He stepped in between the two, swiftly removing the kids arm from the shop-keepers grip and pushing the boy behind him. The man looked perplexed, 

“What? You know this kid? Who are you?”

He squinted at Jason. 

“I’m his brother. I’ve been looking for him all over, thank you so much for finding him.”

He started ushering the kid away. No need to stick around and get caught in the lie,

“We really should be going,” he turned on the kid, giving him a look that said  _ play along _ , “Mom is gonna be furious! We’ve been  _ so _ worried about you!”

The kid started to tear up. Impressive, 

“I-I I’m sorry big brother! I got lost and I-I”

“It’s okay, it’s okay, just lets get you home now, alright?”

He nodded tearfully. The shop owner was still confused, 

“If you’re his brother, how come I’ve never seen you around while he’s stealing junk from my store, huh?”

Bad idea to steal from the same place twice, He’d tell the kid that later. 

“He sneaks off, we don’t know where he goes most days” Jason responded, seeming despondent, “But I doubt it was  _ my brother  _ who stole from your establishment.”

The man crossed his arms, 

“What about how I  _ saw  _ him do it.” 

Jason gasped in mock outrage, 

“How  _ dare  _ you sir! My kid brother is a  _ model  _ citizen!” he started taking steps backwards, pushing the kid behind him again. The guy just stepped closer,

“Oh yeah? Then you’ll have no problem waiting for the police to get here.”

Yes, he would have a problem with that. 

“Of  _ course  _ not, good sir.”

A cop car pulled up on the curb, an officer stepped out, looking tired and bored. He rubbed his chin with one hand, and held a cup of coffee in the other. 

Maybe the he would let them off. Probably not, though. 

Jason lunged forward, slapping the cup out of the cops’ hand, and then throwing a punch squarely in the store owners jaw, 

“Run!” he yelled.

The two of them lost the cop pretty fast after the kid, Owen, pointed out a fire escape that was still intact. They sat on the rooftop, catching their breath while Jason handed the kid a couple of the snacks from his bag. 

“Oh no, it’s fine.” said Owen, unzipping his hoodie to reveal several bags of chips and a few ramen cups, “You did plenty back there, getting that guy off me. Thanks.”

Jason chuckled, 

“You know, kid, you really should find a new place to steal from.” He straightened up, taking his hands off his knees, “Seems like that guy has a pretty tight handle on the place.” 

“I will. But he only caught me ‘cus some old lady followed me around the store and saw me do it.” Owen put his hands in his pockets, glaring at the floor, “Or I would’ve gotten away by myself.”

“You win some, you lose some, kid.”

Jason's eyes fell on a shadowy figure crouched on a building across the street, 

“Speaking of, I gotta go. Watch your back next time.”

Owen looked up, almost hopeful, 

“Can I come with you? I mean-do you have leave already?”

Jason started to turn back to the roofs’ edge, 

“Yeah, sorry bud. Take care alright? Do better next time.”

The kid looked crestfallen, 

“See you around.” he called before Jason dropped onto the fire escape. 

“See ya around, kid.”

A few minutes later, Jason made his way up the stairs to his apartment. He wasn’t surprised to find the door unlocked and ajar. Guess he should find out what he did to piss Bruce off this week. He pushed the door open, Tim was crouching on his windowsill. 

“Well, well, Red Robin” he said, not really looking up,

“What brings you here on such a fine day? Also-If you came in through the window, why did you leave my door open? That feels a little redundant-”

“Jason, we need your help”

He put his bag down in the counter, meeting Tims eyes,

“And who broke out this time, replacement?”

Tim continued, exasperated, 

“It’s not that. We need to find Dick. Something happened.”

Jason furrowed his brow,

“What?”

“Not enough time to explain. Can you help or not?”

Jason pushed off the counter, 

“I guess. “ he said, cavalier, “But-”

“Great. Be on the comms as soon as you leave”

Without another word, Tim jumped off the windowsill, leaving Jason in puzzled silence. Sure, the kid wasn’t super chatty, but something really bad must have been going on for that kind of an exit. Of course, he didn’t care. Not  _ really. _ But if the Dickhead was seriously hurt, and Jason was too late to save him...Bruce would probably have a hissy-fit. If he did this, maybe he could earn less surveillance from now on. 

Jason snatched the keys to his bike on the way out the door, quickly making his way down the steps. What did his brother get himself into this time? A myriad of scenarios ran through Jason’s mind, and even though he continued to remind himself that  _ he didn’t care _ , he found himself going just a  _ little  _ faster through Gothams streets, listening just a  _ little  _ more intently to Oracle over the comms. 

He got the coordinates and balked. The harbor?

“Grayson, you are an idiot.” he mumbled under his breath, speeding more intently towards the docks; and almost,  _ almost  _ praying that he would find Dick okay and in one piece. 

Like he said, he almost did. Because he really didn’t care.  _ Really.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all of the hits, kudos, comments, and bookmarks!! And thank you all for being patient while I get this chapter up! It does spend a lot of time with Jason, just cus I love writing him, and chapter four Damian comes into play! Thank you all again, hope you enjoy this chapter!  
> -Kay


	4. Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I can't say how sorry I am for the two-month blackout, I had a crazy holiday season, as I'm sure many of you have as well, but for now I'm back to stay, and this fic will have consistant updates until it's done! Hope you all enjoy this chapter, thank you all again for the support!

C H A P T E R F O U R 

“Can’t you just fly the jet over the Harbor?”

Damian tapped his fingers on the door of the Batmobile, “And then send us out to get him?”

He glanced at father as he made another turn, 

“Can’t. Cloud cover is too low.” his hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. 

“We’ll have to search on foot.” He paused before adding, “We’ll find him.”

Was that reassurance? Damian must have really been slipping. Of course, he was concerned for Grayson; but rarely were any of his feelings so public that Batman acknowledged them. 

The car came to a screeching halt, they had arrived at the pier. Todd and Drake were waiting there already, visibly bickering about something definitely unnecessary. 

Damian rolled his eyes as he and Father stepped out of the car. He would prefer to do this alone. For Graysons’ sake, however, he would be cooperative.

“What are you two arguing about?” 

Todd looked up, obviously annoyed. His mask was on, but the red hood helmet was nowhere to be found. 

“And the demon’s here. Great. Can we get on with this already?” 

Damian opened his mouth to say something, but Father cut them both off, 

“Yes we can, and we need to act fast.” He typed something into his wrist gauntlet, “The ice is thick enough to support walking weight, so take these.” Batman tossed shoe grips to Drake and Todd, 

“They’ll keep you from slipping. We need to split up and cover as much of the harbor as possible. Move quickly, but cautiously. Be mindful.” 

Todd rolled his eyes. Father closed his gauntlet and turned to Drake, 

“Red Robin, you’ll be headed Northeast from this point, Red Hood, Northwest. I will be going North. Go as soon as you have the crampons on, stay on the comms.” The two got to work as Batman addressed Damian,

“Robin, I want you on the bridge, get as high as you can and try to scan the harbor for Dick. Visibility is going to drop soon but your binoculars should be able to cut through for at least a while. If you see anything, radio.”

Damian nodded once, looking away. Todd and Drake were climbing down the end of the pier already. Father lowered his voice for a moment,

“I know you’re worried about him. It’ll be alright."

Damian straightened his posture and jutted out his chin, 

“I know.”

With that he marched off into the snow. Yes, Grayson would be fine. He didn’t have a choice.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cold. It was cold. It was _so_ cold. It was _too_ cold. 

Dick opened his eyes, just barely. How had he gotten here? Where was he? He was laying on his side, curled tightly in on himself. He was laying on...ice? 

The helicopter, Jamie, the fall. Right. But when had he passed out? 

“Too many questions.” he muttered. To himself. For now, Dick had to start moving, or risk hypothermia, though it was probably (see: definitely) too late for that. 

Still, he resolved to struggle forward. He could almost _hear_ Bruce’s voice in his head, telling him to get up, get his bearings, keep _going._ It was an instinct always pushing at him at times like this. No matter the exhaustion, the confusion, the _cold._

He hated it, honestly. 

Dick unclenched his fists, bracing his arms on the ice. He tried to get up , still wrestling the frigid handcuffs, but he slipped and slammed his chin into the ice.

So much for perseverance. 

_“Do better Nightwing.”_ a voice echoed in his head. 

Dick rolled his eyes,

“Shut up, Bruce.” He muttered.

Standing. Standing comes first. Slowly, he pulled his right leg underneath him, then his left, then-

He gasped and clenched his fists, reminded that his leg was still _very_ broken; and that since he’d been laying there for God-knows how long, there was no more adrenaline to mask the core-deep _ache_ of a snapped bone. Bruce’s voice cut into his head again,

 _“Get_ **_up_ ** _Dick.”_

In all likelihood, the voice was a stressed-induced hallucination, maybe brought on by hypothermia. Still, Dick couldn’t help but be annoyed at Batman telling him to _‘get up’._ Like it was a simple task. Like it ever was when he had to be told.

_“Nightwing, you need to get up.”_

There was no way that was happening. He would have to crawl. So he started moving, inch by agonizing inch. And the voice went away for a while.

A few yards in, Dick stopped to rest. He was so _tired._ He would just close his eyes for a minute, then he’d keep going. 

_“You have to keep going.”_

Dick opened his eyes and squinted up. Sure enough, there he was, Bruce, Batman, the Dark Knight. Taking a knee in front of him. 

“Leave me alone, Bruce.” his speech was slurred from the cold, his broken ribs weren’t helping either. 

_“I’m not going to leave you, Dick.”_

Of course he wasn’t. He wouldn’t. _Batman_ wouldn’t. But not because of him. Not because he was _Robin_ or _Nightwing_ or even _Dick._ Because Batman saves people. Even if Bruce is indifferent about them. 

“Of course...you wouldn’t. Batman...doesn’t”

Dick closed his eyes again, he didn’t move. When he looked up again, Batman was still there.

Stubborn hallucination.

_“What’s that supposed to mean?”_

Dick buried his head in his arms, 

“You know what I mean Bruce.”

And Dick knew that he did. The coldness, the months of radio silence, the reluctant invites to the manor. All of it. The distance hurt more than Dick cared to admit. 

_“Focus on the task at hand, Nightwing.”_

Of course, even in his hallucination, Bruce wouldn’t open up. Aways the mission first. Stay alive, ignore feelings, continue to ignore feelings until there’s no danger. Keep ignoring them after...

“I can’t do it.” 

Dick thought about everything he wanted, _needed,_ to say to the real Bruce. What he could never put into words for so long. All of it felt so far away, but painfully real, just like the distance between Nightwing and Batman. Dick was dying. And this was how he would leave things with the man who was for all intents and purposes, his father.

“It’s too late Bruce. I’m freezing to death. I can’t make it.”

This time he could hear the look on Batman’s stubborn face, 

_“You don’t have a choice, Dick. I’ll walk you through it. Come on.”_

“I’m not walking”

Bruce stood up.

_“Fine. Keep moving.”_

Keep moving. Right. Easy.

—————————————————————

It was taking too long. Tim knew that. There was too much area and not enough eyes and it was just too damn cold.

”Red Robin, check in”

It was Bruce, making sure no one had fallen through the ice, once again. 

Tim radioed back, not stopping his scanning or relentless trek across the ice,

“Here. Nothing yet.”

No response to that. Unsurprising. Tim knew where Bruce’s mind was, pushing back the realities of the worsening situation. The same way Tim had been since all of this started. Looking at the bare bones of the situation was useful when he needed to be the “logical” one for the Titans, or the straight talker when others were in denial, and he could be detached from the situation. But at times like this, the only thing his “logic” did was remind him how utterly helpless he could become. When the only things in front of him were his thoughts and the mission. 

Bruce came over the coms again, 

“Red Hood, check in.”

Jasons answer was dismally similar to Tims. But it didn’t matter. They would keep looking until they found Dick. That’s how it always was, he thought, as he paused to take thermal readings of the surrounding area. They would find him. And if they didn’t...he’d rather not think about it. 

Tim and Dick hadn’t had the best relationship as of late. Ever since that whole mess with Damian and Bruce and Batman that turned their lives upside down. He hadn’t spoken with Dick one-on-one in a while. Not for lack of Dick reaching out though, he felt a twinge of guilt at remembering the many offers to work cases together. Tim just...he didn’t know. Expected an apology, maybe? Then again, Dick wasn’t one to dwell. He probably thought Tim felt the same, or didn’t know how to bring it up. 

He’d tell Dick when he saw him. After all of this was over. They were long overdue for a real conversation; something neither Tim nor Dick had picked up training under Batman. Sometimes, it was convenient. Most times, it made everything outside the masks difficult. 

The readings came back negative, again. Tim slammed down the hologram in frustration. How much longer would he even be able to _find_ Dick using thermal readings? _If_ he wasn’t under the ice and _if_ he wasn’t...gone.

Before he could address the logic demon in his mind again, the comms crackled to life, Damian’s voice coming over the channel, frantic and out of breath, 

“Batman, Hood, Red, I see him! Drake, point three clicks from your position, he’s-“

Damian cut off, Tim tore off across the ice, 

“He isn’t moving....”

Tim didn’t stop, Bruce’s voice was in his ears next, 

“Robin, talk to me, what do you see?”

Damian’s voice was shaky. It made Tim’s blood run cold,

”He’s lying there, he may be injured...he-I”

Tim mentally tapped out of the comms, whatever he was about to see would be shock enough as it were. 

He stopped, he should be able to spot Dick from this point. Tim frantically turned in circles, scanning the ice for-

 _There._ Lying still, handcuffed, barefoot, pale as the grave even from where he was standing. Tim froze, raising a shaky hand to his radio,

”I found him.” He cleared his throat trying to get rid of the hitch in his voice, 

“It doesn’t look good.”


	5. Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably should have tagged for medical inaccuracy...I only know so much about hypothermia I’m from Florida ahah
> 
> !!!Warnings for this chapter!!!(spoilers!!):
> 
> Depictions of CPR/resuscitation and swearing! (Bc Jason)  
> Thank you all again for your kudos hits and comments! They mean the world to me <3  
> -Kay

Tim removed his gantlet and pressed two fingers into Dick’s neck. He held his breath until he felt a weak, slow pulse. He sighed, somewhat relieved. Not ideal, but not dead, 

“He’s alive.” Tim inserted a lockpick into the cuffs around Dick’s wrists, they released with a soft _click,_ “Likely severe hypothermia, probably other injuries as well-”

He stopped as Dick’s brow furrowed, his eyes opening just a slit, 

“Dick? Dick can you hear me?” He pulled at his shoulders, trying to maneuver him to sit up so he would be leaning on Tim’s shoulder. He grimaced as Dick winced from some other wound, maybe broken ribs, but hypothermia was a priority; he needed to be off the ice.

“Is he conscious?” it was Bruce, precise and measured, but with an undeniable tone of worry. 

“His eyes are open, but he’s semi-responsive” He answered, “Hood, how far out are you? I don’t think he can walk and I can’t carry him”

Jason sounded out of breath when he spoke, 

“Almost there, babybird. Five minutes, tops.” 

“Understood.”

Bruce started telling Damian to get the Batmobile and drive to meet them at the bank of the river. Tim would’ve made a joke, under different circumstances, about how neither he, Jason, or Dick were ever allowed to go _near_ the keys to the Batmobile. Dick would’ve thought it was funny, too, were he not currently freezing to death next to him. 

“T-Tim?”

It was barely a whisper, but he heard it, he looked down at his brother, currently staring back at him with a glassy expression. Definitely hypothermia.

“Yeah, Dick, it’s me. We’re gonna get you out of here, just- try to stay awake.”

Dick gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, closing his eyes, 

“Not real. Jus’ like Bruce.”

“Hey!”

Tim jostled his shoulder, making Dick wince again, 

“Sorry, you gotta stay awake, Dick.”

His head lolled, but his eyes stayed open this time, 

“Red Hood, ETA?” he replaced his gauntlet, 

“Same as it was thirty seconds ago.”

Tim took a shaky breath. 

“Talk to me, Dick. Stay awake.”

They would need luck to get Dick to the Batmobile before he got worse. A lot of luck. It was lucky that Dick was even _alive,_ and now it was up to Tim to keep him that way. All the training, all the skill, and still he felt as _useless_ as the day he’d been replaced-

“ ‘M sorry, Tim...”

He tensed,

“What?”

Dick weakly grabbed Tim’s wrist, inclining his head just a bit to make eye contact, 

“I’m so sorry...for everything.” He paused, “I thought I was... right-thought...I was helping you...but,” Dick looked him in the eyes, grief-stricken, “But I was wrong...and you thought you had to leave, I _made_ you leave...and now you hate me...and I’m sorry.”

Tim balked, at a loss for words, still Dick kept talking, 

“I wish…” he inhaled sharply, “I wish I told you...when I had the chance, Tim. I never meant for you to leave, I didn’t-but I was wrong…and I’m...so sorry.” 

Tim held his brother tighter, wishing Jason would hurry up, 

“Dick, I- I forgive you. But right now isn’t the time to-”

“Red!”

Tim looked up to see Jason in a hurry. Though there was a time that Red Hood rapidly approaching him would’ve made him bolt, Tim was relieved to see his second brother. Jason came to a stop over Dick and Tim, immediately crouching down to take Dick’s pulse,

“Dammit” He took off his leather jacket, leaving him with just body armor underneath, 

Jason wrapped his jacket around Dicks shoulders. He looked from Tim to Dick with a creased brow, as if he was worried, but he wasn’t sure what to do.

“He needs to get off the ice” Tim supplied,

Dick had passed out again, eyes opening and closing lazily. Jason hooked his arms under Dick’s and tried to haul him up, but before he could get far Dick cried out in pain, making them both wince, 

“Careful! I think his ribs are broken.”

Jason was exasperated,

“Of _course_ they are.” He gingerly laid Dick back down, “That leg doesn’t look too good either.”

Tim hadn’t noticed, but Dicks left shin was swollen and twisted at an unnatural angle. That had to have been from breaking through the ice during the fall. Jason sat down, pulling Dick’s shoulders onto his lap, 

“Dick, hey, Dickie, wake up, come on.”

He gently shook Dick’s shoulders, rousing him. He blinked a few times before focusing on Jason, eyes sliding to Tim as well,

“There you are. You gotta stand up. We’re gonna help you, just stay awake, alright?”

If Dick heard him, he didn’t show it. Jason gestured for Tim to take one of Dick’s arms. 

He gently gripped his shoulder, careful to avoid the bruising around his wrist. Jason put a hand on the back of Dick’s head, bracing his other shoulder. He looked at Tim,

“Okay, on three. One, two, three”

It was painstaking getting him on his feet. As soon as they moved, Dick started thrashing, eyes wide, 

“Dick, it’s okay! It’s us!” Tim tried to keep him from slipping backward, “Calm down, It’s okay, Dick!” He caught Tim’s eyes, and stopped struggling for a moment, Jason managed to pull his shoulder under Dick’s arm. He nodded to Tim, who stepped back, letting Jason take him.

“Jesus, Dick, I didn’t think you had that much fight left in you.”

Dick turned to look at Jason in a daze. Wherever he was a moment ago, part of him was definitely still there. 

“...Jay?”

“Yeah, Big Bird.” Jason gently pushed the two of them forward, taking almost all of Dicks weight. He cocked his head to look at Tim,

“Come on Red, we gotta move, pull up the rendezvous.” 

Dick groaned, Jason readjusted his grip with a huff, 

“You’re gonna owe me big time for hauling your ass to the cave, Dickface” It was a half-hearted insult at best. 

Tim followed, but he couldn’t help the anxiety that fluttered in his chest . Of course, he knew Jason cared about all of them, though he rarely showed it outside of life-or-death Scenarios; but Tim almost never saw him shaken the way he had been a moment ago. Tim knew the situation was bad, logically, medically, statistically; but something about watching his older brother anxiously checking their every step, trying to keep Dick awake, and swearing under his breath constantly put Tim on edge. 

When he was just a kid, chasing Batman and Robin across rooftops, Dick was invincible. Then Jason was bulletproof; then Tim was Robin and he was neither of those things. Robin was never any of those things. But now, watching his brothers stumble across the ice, the younger being uncharacteristically patient and the older on the edge of death, Tim realized that somewhere in his head, Jason and Dick had never really stopped being bulletproof. He was wrong. It scared him. He pushed the thought aside, 

“Hood, at this pace it’s half an hour to the rendezvous.”

Jason said nothing, focused on keeping himself and Dick upright, but he nodded. He could tell fatigue was already starting to catch up with Jay, and the lack of a jacket probably didn’t help. He should keep an eye on that, actually, treating two hypothermia patients was not ideal. It would be alright though, they would push forward and hopefully it would keep Jason from getting too cold and Dick from getting colder and then everything would be fine, right? Tim rarely let himself be an optimist. He vaguely remarked that now was not the time to make it a habit. 

Still, this seemed like it would be okay. At the very least, there weren’t many was it could get worse.

As if on cue, Jason slipped, falling onto the ice with Dick in tow, 

“Hood!” Tim rushed over, but Jason wasn’t looking at him, instead he was twisted at an angle, getting up to hover over Dick. 

“I think he passed out again” Jason said, an edge of worry on his voice. He carefully took Dicks pulse, brow creased. Tim waited for him to pull his fingers away and announce a slow but present heartbeat.

And waited. 

_And waited._

“Jay?” he asked, a cold feeling settling in his stomach. 

Jason swore loudly, getting on his knees next to Dick, 

Tim knew what was about to happen before Jason started compressions. His hand flew to his comm unit, 

“Red Robin to Batman, he’s gone into cardiac arrest brought on by severe hypothermia, Red Hood is administering CPR now, we need emergency medical to be ready immediately. Repeat: we need emergency medical to be ready-” His voice cut out after that, his last measured, calculated facade crumbling as Bruce gave a frantic affirmative. There was nothing he could do. There was nothing he could _do,_ but watch the rise and fall of Dick’s chest as Jason forced air into his lungs. 

“Come on, Dick, you can’t _do_ this!” it was Jason, “This is a stupid-ass way to die, and I’ve _died_ ! You’re _Nightwing,_ Goddamnit!” Tim felt the emotion in his voice, the fear, the anger, the _guilt-_

“Red Robin, Red Robin, come in!” it was Damian. God, the poor kid must be terrified. Tim tried to steady his voice,

“Robin, I’m here.” 

Damian wasn’t even trying to disguise his fear, Tim could relate to that, 

“What is happening, Drake? Is Grayson going to make it?”

Tim took a shaky breath, sinking to his knees, 

“I-I don’t know, Damian, I don’t” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to keep himself from falling any further, “I’m sorry, Robin, I don’t know.”

There were more voices on the comms after that, Bruce, Damian again, Oracle, but Tim barely heard them. He didn’t answer, he couldn’t answer. Not until he knew whether or not he’d lost his brother.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason didn’t stop. 

He didn’t know how long he’d been going, minutes, hours, seconds. Time wasn’t real, it was just him, and his brother, who he really needed to be alive. 

“Come _on_ Dickhead” he muttered, careful not to waste his breath, “I know you’re in there.” He really was trying to stay calm, to fight the unwanted feelings threatening to claw out of his throat. For Tim, for Damian. Maybe not for Bruce. For Dick. For his brother, who had tried so damn hard to make things right between them, for so long. Jason had _just_ relented, _just_ started to think that maybe he really could be part of the family again. If Dick died...it would tear them all apart worse than Brucie's jaunt through time. Who would put them back together?

It had to be nearing two minutes now since Dick stopped breathing. Batman came over the comms, 

“Red Robin, what’s his status?” Jason appreciated the question not being directed at him. He heard Tim’s voice behind him as it echoed through their commlink, 

“Non-responsive, Red Hood is still administering CPR”

Tim’s voice was deceivingly level, but anyone who knew the kid could hear the quiver just underneath. Tim was _scared_. Jason was too. 

“ _Don’t think about it. One more round”_ he told himself _“Go from there”_

He was panting, fatigue starting to creep up in his bones. He pushed it aside, like he’d always done. Like he’d been trained to do, 

“Dick, you can’t die here.” He breathed, “I’ll never let you live it down.”

He kept pushing, staying in time the best he could, “Plus Bruce’ll go all dark again, and no one wants to see that.” He kept talking, “And God, you can’t leave the Demon behind, none of us are good at the brother thing like you are...even if you are a Dick.” He didn’t move...

“God, Dick! Can you just live? Just because? Because we need you? Because I swear to whatever the hell let me live a second time, I’ll dunk your sorry ass in the Lazarus pit and kill you _again!”_ Jason put both his fists together and slammed them into his brother's chest.

Dick’s eyes flew open, he gasped and started coughing. 

“Hell yeah!” Jason weakly threw his fists in the air and sat back on his haunches, catching his own breath. Dick looked around wildly, still coughing, 

“You’re alright, Dick, just take small breaths. You’re fine.” The older tried to sit up, probably still very confused, Jason put a hand on his chest, gently pushing him back down, 

“Give it a sec. That’s gonna hurt later.” 

He heard Tim radio behind him voice shaking with relief and a hint of hysterical laughter, 

“He’s back-Hood got him back. He’s alive.”

Dick looked up a the sky, eyes still glassy,

“Wh-Jason?” he muttered in between gasps

“Yeah asshole” Jason stumbled to his feet, “This probably won’t feel good, but we gotta move.”

With that he pulled Dick up by his wrists and slung his arm across his shoulder, Jason’s jacket still hanging onto his frame. Dick tried helping Jason to walk them, but he was barely dragging his feet, clenching his teeth in an obvious attempt to keep from making his pain known, 

“I got you, Dickhead” Jason adjusted his grip, “Just stay awake, alright? I can take you.” Dick nodded, and leaned heavily onto Jason. To his left, he saw Tim slip under Dick’s other shoulder. 

“We almost there?” Jason asked,

Tim nodded loosely, probably still riding the high from a few minutes ago, 

“Almost. Batman’s gonna meet us halfway.”

Jason nodded, opting out of tracking time. He just put one foot in front of the other, pinching Dick in the side every so often to keep him awake, and imagining a very long, very hot shower at the manor to drive up Bruce’s water bill.   
  


\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bruce was panicking. Well, for him, he was panicking. There had been the initial moment of fear, disbelief, and helplessness when Tim came over the comms, announcing that Dick’s heart had stopped beating. The realization that he was _losing his son_ like _this._ When they hadn’t spoken in months, when he hadn’t been there to protect him as Batman or Bruce. He had frozen on the spot, his operative mind catching up to the situation only as Tim’s voice cracked and cut off. He’d given orders, and kept moving. He’d planned to intercept them before Dick went down. Now he just needed to be there. 

Bruce had felt the relief bleed through everyone, including himself, when Tim told them he was breathing again. That Jason had saved him. But there was something else too, something new. Realization, he concluded. Of what, he’d figure out later. He’d...talk with Dick. Once all of this was over. 

But Bruce had never been good at that. Talking. Even when it was just him and Alfred. He couldn’t just _say_ things like everyone else, and when he did, he said it wrong, or odd, or emotionless. Eventually, Bruce had concluded that he only made things worse. That it was best for everyone if he stayed out of their feelings. Maybe he needed to try again. 

Jason and Tim came into view, Dick supported in between them. Instantly a haze of worry rose in his chest. There were a million scenarios and thoughts flying around his mind, Dick could crash again, he could have secondary drowning, he could develop pneumonia. He quieted them. What mattered most was here. 

“Hey Bats!” Jason called once he was in earshot “Good to see you.” Jason and Tim each had one of Dick’s arms around their shoulders, all but carrying him. He grunted something in response.

Bruce intercepted them, but kept walking as he took scans of Dick and transmitted to Alfred, who in turn was relaying the information to Dr.Thompkins, already waiting at the cave. Time was something they could not afford to waste. He tried to push aside everything that came up when he saw his oldest son. He was bruised, pale, barely conscious. He had Jason’s jacket on, it was too big for him, he looked almost like that kid Bruce had taken into the manor all those years ago. _Address it later._

There really was nothing for him to do. He hated it. He took stock of Jason and Tim. The younger was managing alright, but Jason looked tired. Being taller, he was taking most of Dick’s weight. He didn’t have a jacket, and Bruce knew from personal experience that CPR was draining, in more ways than one,

“Switch with me, Hood.” the words came out of his mouth before he really registered them, Jason's head snapped in his direction. Bruce prepared himself, assuming he’d stepped on a sore spot _yet again_. But surprisingly, Jason just shrugged,

“Alright. I’ve been carrying him for a while anyway.”

He moved so Bruce could slip under Dick’s arm. Dick stirred, looking around, 

“Jay?” 

“Still here Dick” Jason answered, falling into step to the right of them. 

Bruce nodded to Tim, and they kept walking. Dick seemed determined to hang on to consciousness, if only by a thread. Eventually he nodded off, and Bruce jostled him a little,

“Dick, stay awake.” It came out like an order. Like Batman. And Dick listened, eyes snapping open, obeying without question like he was still Robin. Sometimes Bruce wished he wouldn’t do that.

Dick blinked a few times, turning his head to look at him,

“Bruce?” 

He tightened his grip around his son,

“Yeah, chum, I’m here. You’re gonna be alright.”

Dick nodded, but looked confused, 

“Thought...you left? You were there and then…”

“Don’t fall asleep, Dick”

He watched him pry his eyes open again. He was drifting off more easily now. Bruce kept his eye on him, not slowing pace or stopping, letting his subconscious take them where they needed to go. 

“I’m...gonna miss you all...”

Bruce knit his brow, making brief eye contact with Tim, 

“Were right here, chum.”

Dick lazily glanced at him, 

“I know you are…” a ghost of a sad smile played on his face. “I know…”

His eyes closed again, this time Bruce pinched him hard in the side, but it did nothing. Jason called his name from behind them, picking up his pace to catch up.

“Dick!” Tim shook his shoulder, “Dick, you gotta stay awake!”

This time his eyes barely opened, Bruce pushed forward, the Batmobile was in sight now, and the shore with it, 

“Just wish...Damain...don’t know why he isn’t here…”

He was confused, from the hypothermia he probably thought...he thought he was _dying_ . Bruce stopped in his tracks, turning and picking up his oldest son, they were so _close._

Dick let his head lean against Bruce’s chest. He inhaled sharply,

“M so sorry Bruce…” he was whispering, Bruce didn’t look down, he knew what he would see and he knew it would compromise him. 

He roughly stomped up onto the shoreline, grateful for the anti-snow soles Lucious had recently created,

“Just hang on, Dick, you’re not gonna die”

He could hear Jason and Tim behind them, Damian stepped out of the Batmobile, running to meet them, 

“Father!” he stopped in his tracks, eyes settling on Dick, “Is he…?”

“He’s alive.” Bruce said, half reassuring his son, half reminding himself, “We have to move now.”

Without pausing, he slid Dick into the passenger's seat of the Batmobile. Bruce turned to the three boys now standing behind him.

Jason's teeth were chattering, Tim looked like he might go grey with stress any second, Damian had fear in his face that only a bat could recognize.

Bruce launched back into the safety of logic and away from the tangle of emotions threatening to cloud his judgement, 

“Robin, since there’s only one seat in the Batmobile, you ride back to the cave with Red Hood, his core temperature has probably started to drop.”

Jason opened his mouth to protest, Tim cut him off,

“You’ve been shivering for the past thirty minuets, we don’t need you to go hypothermic too, Hood.”

Jason closed his mouth, Bruce started getting into the car,

“My point exactly. Red Robin, escort them to the cave, I’ll meet the three of you there.”

He paused before shutting the door, “Good work.”

Then it was quiet. And the Batmobile was speeding down the Gotham streets. Bruce had set it to autopilot, taking off his cape to drape across Dicks shoulders. He was unresponsive, eyes open but staring into space and dropping closed every so often. He refused to pass out, jolting awake each time he seemed on the edge of unconsciousness. Bruce took his hand, ignoring how cold it was. He didn’t know if Dick knew where he was, or if Bruce was even there, but he reciprocated just barely wrapping his fingers around his hand. 

“Bruce…”

They were nearly there. Bruce was starting to calm down. Dick was awake, Dr. Thompkins was waiting for them at the cave. His son would be fine.

“I’m here, Dick. We’re almost to the cave, don’t worry.”

Dick’s eyes barely focused on him, but there was a flicker of recognition, and he let himself sleep. 

Bruce turned his attention back to the wind shield as the Batmobile screeched into the cave, he could see Alfred and Leslie already approaching. 

He let himself relax, if just a little. Dick was alive, everyone was okay, the worst was over. 

Bruce helped move Dick to the medbay, then did as he was told and waited. He watched as Damian, Jason and Tim dismounted their bikes, told them what he knew, and waited with them. 

He told himself again; everyone would be fine. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you all have been waiting too long for this, so the 6th and final chapter will be up tonight! (Around 7:00 EST!)


	6. six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This entire chapter is just gonna be fluff and soft angst so enjoy! Love you all!  
> Also no editing we die like Jason Todd for this one   
> -Kay :)

Dick came too slowly, and in pieces. He only sort of knew where he was and what was going on. There was the Batmobile, which he had probably hallucinated; Jason and Tim, which he had also come up with. Bruce had returned too, this time it felt so much more real. It hurt more, but some masochistic part of him wished his subconscious had let him see Damian too. 

He was going to miss them all so much. 

There had been the Batmobile, and Batman's cape on his shoulders. There was no feeling of movement, but that was unsurprising. Dick was probably face-down on the ice of Gotham harbor somewhere, inching closer to death. Death. 

He’d never thought much about death, well, okay, that was a lie. Dick, like everyone in his line of work, had thought about death probably a lot more than the average person. You had to. Think about it, make peace with it, resign yourself to it. Lose people to it. Even though it wasn’t his dayjob, he’d never thought about dying outside of the Nightwing suit. Especially not like this. 

He’d been reckless, careless, overconfident. And now...it was too late. Dick opened his eyes again in the fake Batmobile with the fake Bruce looking at him fakely. And it...hurt? Comforted him? He didn’t know. 

There was a calloused hand around his. Dick tried to speak, 

“Bruce…”

Then he was gone again. 

The next time he came to he was starting to wonder whether he died already, or maybe if he was dying at all. He could just make out his surroundings; what looked suspiciously like the infirmary in the batcave. Dr.Leslie was there, shining a light into his eyes and pushing his wet hair away from his face. If he could’ve talked, he would have asked her if he was dead. 

Then there was pain. Not the worst he’d ever been in, but enough to wake him. It was in his leg, his left one, hadn’t he broken it? Maybe he wasn’t dead, but there was no way he’d been rescued by  _ batman _ , he decided. But then Bruce was there, hands pinning down his shoulders moments before Dick could put the pieces together; too late; as the  _ snap _ of bone being set echoed in his head and he opted to pass out rather than deal with the pain. 

The third time he woke up, he felt cold. Like, unbearably hot and cold, but not the same numbness as when he was out on the ice. Another thing, he was definitely no longer on the ice. 

There was a cot or something under him, and what felt like layers of blankets on him. A weird burning on his chest, warmth that he wanted to chase, but it also hurt, and he still felt so  _ cold ugh _ -

“I can tell you’re awake Dick. Can you open your eyes?”

That...sounded  _ a lot like Bruce _ . But it couldn’t be him. The odds of him being rescued, especially by  _ Batman _ , were astronomical. If he did open his eyes, he would see ice. Or death. Or, nothing at all. 

“Dick, come on, please?”   
And opening his eyes seemed like so much  _ work _ . 

“Dickie, can you quit being an ass? That’s my thing.”

Jason?

“I thought dying was your ‘thing’, Todd?” 

_ Damian? _

“Will the both of you shut up?”

_ Tim?? _

Hallucination be damned. Dick forced his eyes to open. 

He...was not dead. He was in the Batcave. 

Bruce was there, carding his fingers through Dick’s hair, and Tim and Jason were settled on a couch very obviously stolen from upstairs while Damian perched on a folding chair to the right of them. 

“Hey, Dick, there you are.”

He made eye contact with Bruce, the man looked relieved. Okay. So Dick was not dead. But that left a lot of questions, 

“H-How?” He asked, voice hoarse and thin from shivering, 

“Your captain told me what happened this morning.” Bruce took one of Dick’s hands in his own. “She said you were dead. I thought different.” 

Dick almost laughed, except it turned into a painful cough, agitated by his  _ very definitely broken ribs _ . 

“Take it easy, Dickhead, I gave you CPR on top of those broken ribs.”

He turned to look at Jason, 

“ _ What?” _

“Todd!” Damian snapped, “That information is not pertinent for Grayson to know until we assess his current state!”

Dick tried to sit up, but Bruce pushed his shoulder back down, 

“It’s alright, Little D, I’m okay.”

Damian somehow looked angrier, 

“No. Richard, you are  _ not.  _ It is  _ not. _ ”

+ “Damian-” Bruce began, 

“I know you agree with me!” He gave a pointed look to Jason and Tim, “You all do. This was nowhere near alright!” 

Dick tried to sit up again, Bruce easily pushed him into the bed.

“Stay down, Dick.” It was Tim, who materialized next to his bed. 

Dick relented with a sigh,

“I’m honestly fine. I’m sorry you guys had to come get me-”

“You honestly think that’s what this is about!?” 

It was Bruce, not yelling, but speaking in that rare- _ Emotion. Bruce. Warning.- _ tone that made them all shut up and look at him. 

“Dick- _ please _ tell me you know that’s not what this is about.”

He honestly didn’t know what to say, 

“I...I mean I don’t know, I-”

Jason stood up, 

“Dick, we’ve all been assholes to each other, but if  _ I’m  _ still a part of this family I can’t understand why you would think you aren’t” 

There were a lot of reasons, actually. None of them were what Jason thought though. It was about what  _ he  _ had done--firing Tim, leaving Damian, believing Bruce was dead, 

“It’s not like that.” he said, “I knew you would come if you could but I mean I haven’t exactly been-”

“Like Jason said, we’ve all been assholes.” Tim had his eyes downcast, “All of us. We still care about each other” he met Dick’s eyes, “We care about you, Dick.”

“You nearly  _ died _ Richard.”

He looked up at Damian again, who, unbelievably, had tears in his eyes. 

“You were almost  _ killed _ by a pathetic group of-”

He went quiet, squeezing his eyes shut, 

“Oh, Dami, I-” 

Dick felt a lump in his own throat,

“I promise, I’m alright.”

Damian threw himself onto Dick’s cot, trying to conceal his face in his shoulder,Dick winced at his ribs but wrapped his arms around his brother, 

“You are a fool Richard.” Damian mumbled into the blankets before standing. Dick started shivering again. 

“I’m cold.” was all he could muster. 

“The heating pad must've died.” Bruce yanked the squarish thing from under his blanket. so  _ that _ was the weird heat on his chest, “I’ll see if there’s another one-”

Jason gave a loud, put upon sigh before grabbing Tim around the shoulder and collapsing onto the cot, 

“Come here Demon. This ain’t gonna last forever.”

Tim struggled for a moment, then resigned himself to being stuck between his brothers, Damian squeezed next to Dick on the other side. Bruce bit his lip, trying to conceal his laughter unsuccessfully. 

Dick took a deep breath, definitely not tearing up. 

He was tired. They all were by the looks of it. 

Jason was scrolling through something on his phone, Damian beginning to sleep next to him, Tim staring into space like a hostage. 

“Go to sleep, Dick” said Bruce, “I’m sure Alfred has something warm for when you wake up.”

That sounded nice enough. The shivering was subsiding, his eyes falling closed finally in a way that didn’t feel dangerous.

“I love you guys.” he mumbled, drifting off. 

The last thing he heard was someone promising that they would still be there when he woke up. 

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! My first completed fic!  
> Thank you all so much for being so amazing and supportive! Big things in the works; currently working on a full-length Jason-centric fic that should be out soon!  
> Anyways, thank you all again, hope you enjoyed this!  
> -Kay :)


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